Deuterium-labeled and tritium-labeled organic and organometallic compounds are used widely in spectroscopic experiments and in studies aimed at the elucidation of chemical structure and reaction mechanisms. These materials are expensive because they must be prepared by H/D exchange from unlabeled starting materials, often in multi-sequence procedures that require a more common compound to serve as a source of deuterium that can be transferred into the molecule of interest. Using classical methods it is usually easiest to exchange deuterium with so-called “activated” protons (e.g., protons that are acidic, or susceptible to electrophilic exchange using strong acids); exchange with “unactivated” protons is much more difficult. As a result, many deuterium-labeled compounds are either expensive or not available commercially. The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of a deuterated and/or tritiated compound which is useful as a raw material for pharmaceuticals, agricultural chemical, functional materials, analytical tracers and similar uses. When reference is made to deuterium and deuteration it is intended to include also tritium and tritiation, or a mixture of deuterium and tritium.
To make deuterium-labeled and tritium labeled organic and organometallic materials less expensively and more readily available, the chemical community requires a universal (preferably catalytic) method that would allow H/D exchange from an inexpensive deuterium and tritium source into a wide range of proton-containing compounds. The deuterium and tritium source that fits these criteria ideally is D2O and T2O, due to their low cost and low toxicity.